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PODCAST

Tentpole Trauma

Tentpole Trauma

A podcast where we look at movies that came with hype and high hopes, but left with crushing disappointment, either critically, at the box office, or both.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

01:33:55

The Shadow

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/08/22

Who knows what box office disappointments lurk in the hearts of men? Coming in the — pun intended — shadow of Tim Burton’s mega hit Batman, 1994’s The Shadow tried to capture a similar pulpy magic. But despite a strong turn by Alec Baldwin in the titular role, the hoped-for superhero franchise never materialized. Join Sebastian and Matt as they pluck the weed of crime and taste the bitter fruit of this maligned but enjoyable crimefighting caper.

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01:00:45

Supergirl

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/08/14

Look… up in the sky… it’s a bird… it’s a dame… it’s… a big budget flop! The Superman franchise was starting to stumble by the time Supergirl made her big screen debut in 1984, and despite the star power of Faye Dunaway and Peter O’Toole the film proved further kryptonite at the box office and with critics. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they unravel the mysteries of the omegahedron and take flight with this bugnuts slice of superhero cinema.

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01:46:25

The Last Boy Scout

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/08/08

Armed with a high-priced Shane Black script and starring Bruce Willis at the height of his action hero stardom, Tony Scott’s The Last Boy Scout was poised to be a 1991 Christmas season juggernaut. But lackluster reviews and a disappointing box office take tarnished the film’s reputation until it emerged as a cult classic several decades later. Join Sebastian and Rodney at the kickoff line as they battle on the gridiron over this compellingly mean-spirited underperformer.

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01:01:30

Cursed

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/07/30

Reuniting the team behind Scream for a post-modern take on the werewolf genre seemed like a dream…until it devolved into a nightmare. Years of reshoots and production hell truly earned Wes Craven’s Cursed its name, and when it eventually hit theaters in 2005 audiences and critics were howling for blood. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they attempt to reevaluate and show pity for this catastrophic lycanthropic misfire.

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00:56:58

The Huntsman: Winter's War

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/07/22

2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman was something of a surprise hit, so it’s no surprise that Universal Studios ordered a sequel. Unfortunately by the time 2016 rolled around both director Rupert Sanders and star Kristen Stewart were off on other projects, leaving Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron to shoulder the film along with newcomers Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt, resulting in an icy reception. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they consult the magic mirror to determine why The Huntsman:

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01:08:30

The Golden Compass

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/07/15

The film industry was hungry for fantasy franchises after the success of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, and while Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series didn’t seem an obvious choice, there was certainly potential in its alternate dimensional vision and chosen one narrative. But despite the presence Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green and cgi polar bears, Chris Weitz’s muddled effort, renamed The Golden Compass, failed to ignite the imagination of audiences and critics, bombing at the

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01:08:24

The Mummy (2017)

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/07/01

Hopes were high for the launch of Universal’s “Dark Universe”, a full slate of high profile, interconnected, big budget blockbusters that would revive the classic line-up of Universal Monsters. With mega-star Tom Cruise tapped to headline the first official effort — an action packed reboot of The Mummy directed by A-list writer Alex Kurtzman — success seemed all but inevitable, and yet the film tanked badly with audiences and critics. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they crack open the sarcophagus

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01:41:25

The Predator

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/06/24

The Predator franchise was in something of a fallow period by the end of the previous decade, so when it was announced that genre hotshot Shane Black would be resurrecting the series, along with former collaborator Fred Dekker, there was cause for excitement among film fans. Sadly the end result was not the action/sci fi horror film most had hoped for — so what went wrong? Join badasses Sebastian, Chris and Rodney as they get to the chopper and hunt down this confused and frustrating flop.

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01:16:07

Phantom of the Paradise

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/06/13

In hindsight the odd marriage of burgeoning director Brian De Palma and superstar songwriter Paul Williams seems a recipe for 70s era success, but sadly their Faustian collaboration Phantom of the Paradise met with little appreciation at the time. Since then it has grown into a cult classic among genre fans, but is this twisted, glam rock take on The Phantom of the Opera worthy of such status? (Spoiler: it is!) Join Sebastian, Jennifer and special guest Beth Topping as they sell their souls for

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01:10:08

Firestarters

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/06/06

Cinematic adaptations of bestselling author Stephen King are often a safe bet, and yet neither attempts at bringing his novel Firestarter to the big screen have generated significant heat at the box office. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they discuss both the Drew Barrymore 1984 version and the recent Zac Efron 2022 attempt and see if there’s any potential to be kindled from this pyrokinetic intellectual property.

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01:33:19

The Northman

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/05/30

Possibly the most interesting director to emerge in the last decade is Robert Eggers, so the news that he was crafting a 90 million dollar Viking blockbuster with his tireless penchant for verisimilitude was cause for celebration among film fans. Featuring hulking Norse god Alexander Skaarsgard as well as Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, the movie did not disappoint — except at the box office. Join Sebastian and Troy as they ride with the Valkyrie to Valhalla by heaping praise on this

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01:23:51

Mortal Engines

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/05/16

Riding the trend of YA dystopian adaptations and with the power of Peter Jackson behind it, Christian Rivers’ big budget steampunk extravaganza was poised to crush the competition when it hit theaters in 2018. But this engine stalled badly, racking up an embarrassing box office take and crashing the hopes of a fresh new sci fi franchise. Join Sebastian and Steve as they steamroll through the good, the bad, and the bonkers of the maligned and overlooked Mortal Engines.

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01:00:46

The Brothers Grimm

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/05/09

The stories of the Brothers Grimm have endured throughout history, and arguably no director is better suited to adapting them than the wildly imaginative and irreverent Terry Gilliam. And yet, when his take on the material, starring hot stars Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, hit screens in 2005, it went virtually unnoticed. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they journey into the enchanted forest and try to find the magic in this big budget, fairytale failure.

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01:52:06

Robocop (2014)

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/05/03

A resurrection of the Robocop franchise was in the works for nearly a decade, and the post Marvel superhero boom seemed a perfect time to debut a new take on a crime fighting cyborg cop. But despite the best efforts of director Jose Padilha and a stellar cast featuring Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Joel Kinnaman, the 2014 remake missed the mark with fans and ticket buyers. Join Rodney and Sebastian as they crack the case on why this big budget reboot roboflopped.

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01:03:26

Death to Smoochy

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/04/26

In 2001 both Robin Williams and Edward Norton were at the peak of their careers, so a black comedy team-up that lampoons the Barney the dinosaur phenomenon seemed a solid concept on paper. Add Danny DeVito as director and co-star, as well as a 50 million dollar budget — what could possibly go wrong? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they sing joyous songs for the children and try to understand why Death to Smoochy was such a critical and financial failure.

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01:03:21

Streets of Fire

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/04/18

Director Walter Hill was riding high off the success of The Warriors and 48 Hrs when he was given the green light to make his high budget rock n’ roll fable Streets of Fire. But despite the presence of rising stars Diane Lane and Willem Dafoe and a heavy presence on MTV thanks to Dan Hartman’s hit single “I Can Dream About You”, the film flopped hard with critics and audiences. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they get ready to rumble with this surreal and stylish cinematic street fight.

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01:25:47

Tank Girl

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/04/04

In 1995 the post apocalyptic genre was in full swing, so an adaptation of a hip, grunge friendly indie comic book property like Tank Girl looked like a good idea. Sadly, the resulting film from Rachel Talalay, built around the strange charisma of star Lori Petty, was a critical and box office cataclysm. Join Sebastian, Chris and Rodney as they fire up the heavy artillery and get down with Ice T as a mutant kangaroo for this bizarro but weirdly entertaining cinematic bomb.

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01:41:26

The Green Hornet

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/03/28

The prospect of grafting an outdated radio serial superhero onto a Seth Rogen comedy by way of surrealist filmmaker Michel Gondry seemed dicey by the most generous metrics, and the resulting effort, 2011’s The Green Hornet, failed to live up to even modest expectations. But is it really the trainwreck its poor box office take and critical reception suggests? Join Sebastian, Jennifer and superfan Matt Anderson as they delve deep into Green Hornet lore and ask the eternal question — do we make you

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01:22:36

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One...

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/03/21

Considering the success of 2016’s Suicide Squad, a solo outing focusing on Margot Robbie’s celebrated portrayal of super villainess Harley Quinn seemed a no-brainer for the struggling DCEU. But despite a winning female team both in front and behind the camera, Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn failed to deliver the box office windfall the character deserved. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they try to have the last laugh with this irreverent and enjoyable superheroine

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01:50:01

Double the Dredd

Tentpole Trauma ·

2022/03/14

It’s always a challenge to bring a cult comic book character to the big screen successfully; in the case of 2000 AD’s gruff, helmeted lawgiver Judge Dredd, the attempt was made twice, both in 1995 and 2012. Despite the presences of Sylvester Stallone and Karl Urban in the titular role neither attempt drew in big box office, but at least one take emerged from the scorched earth as something of a cult classic. Join Sebastian and Malcontent Media’s Sean Farina as they try to determine who is the law

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166 results

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